11 Mar 21. Featured Paper

The application of optical coherence tomography angiography in Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review

Link to paper on Alzheimer's & Dementia

Authors

Olivia M. Rifai, Sarah McGrory, Cason B. Robbins, Dilraj S. Grewal, Andy Liu, Sharon Fekrat, Thomas J. MacGillivray

Abstract

Introduction: Discovering non‐invasive & easily acquired biomarkers that are conducive to the accurate diagnosis of dementia is an urgent area of ongoing clinical research.

One promising approach is retinal imaging, as there is homology between retinal & cerebral vasculature.

Recently, optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT‐A) has emerged as a promising new technology for imaging the microvasculature of the retina.

Methods: A systematic review & meta‐analysis was conducted to examine the application of OCT‐A in dementia.

Results: Fourteen studies assessing OCT‐A in preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment, or AD were included.

Exploratory meta‐analyses revealed a significant increase in the foveal avascular zone area & a significant decrease in superficial parafoveal & whole vessel density in AD, although there was significant heterogeneity between studies.

Discussion: Although certain OCT‐A metrics may have the potential to serve as biomarkers for AD, the field requires further standardization to allow conclusions to be reached regarding their clinical utility.

Keywords

• Alzheimer's disease
• Dementia
• Diagnostic tool
• Foveal avascular zone
• Mild cognitive impairment
• Optical coherence tomography angiography
• Perfusion density
• Preclinical
• Retinal imaging
• Retinal vasculature
• Vessel density